wavefront

(noun)

An imaginary surface passing through points of a medium oscillating in phase.

Related Terms

  • constructive interference
  • destructive interference

Examples of wavefront in the following topics:

  • Huygens' Principle

    • The new wavefront is a line tangent to all of the wavelets.
    • Each point on the wavefront emits a wave at speed, v.
    • The new wavefront is tangent to the wavelets.
    • Huygens's principle applied to a straight wavefront.
    • The new wavefront is a line tangent to the wavelets.
  • Single Slit Diffraction

    • The former states that every point on a wavefront is a source of wavelets.
    • The new wavefront is a line tangent to all of the wavelets.
    • This will produce a wavefront that is all in the same phase.
  • Spherical and Plane Waves

    • A plane wave is a constant-frequency wave whose wavefronts (surfaces of constant phase) are infinite parallel planes of constant peak-to-peak amplitude normal to the phase velocity vector .
    • Plane waves are an infinite number of wavefronts normal to the direction of the propogation.
  • Reflection and Transmission

    • Reflection is a wave phenomenon that changes the direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated.
  • Sonic Booms

    • Since the source is moving faster (with a speed ) than the sound waves it creates, it actually leads the advancing wavefront.
  • Moving Source

    • However, since the source is moving, the centre of each new wavefront is now slightly displaced to the right.
  • Moving Observer

    • However, since the source is moving, the centre of each new wavefront is now slightly displaced to the right.
  • General Case

    • However, since the source is moving, the centre of each new wavefront is now slightly displaced to the right.
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